1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to non-volatile memory controlling apparatus and more particularly to a non-volatile memory controlling apparatus wherein data contents will be able to be secured even in case a controller within an electric device fails or stampedes.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a conventional non-volatile memory controlling apparatus.
In FIG. 4, the reference numeral 1 represents a plug feeding a power source to an electric device. A power source line from the plug 1 is connected to a power source circuit 3 for a stand-by circuit through a power source switch 2. When the power source switch 2 is engaged, this power source circuit 3 will feed a power source voltage a and resetting signal b to a controller 4 and will feed the power source voltage a to a non-volatile memory 5 and input circuit 6. The non-volatile memory 5 has a function of continuing to memorize already memorized data contents even if the power source voltage a is not fed but will be able to write in and read out data when the power source voltage a is fed. The input circuit 6 has a power source key and various keys and detects various instructions from the user and outputs them as detecting signals. The controller 4 controls switching on/off a relay 7 on the basis of the detecting signal, for example, of switching the power source on/off from the input circuit 6. When the relay 7 is switched on, an electric power will be fed to a power source circuit 8 for feeding a power source to the electric device body, a power source voltage c will be fed to controlled circuits 9 and 10 and these circuits 9 and 10 will operate. There are various other controlled circuits than the two circuit represented by the reference numerals 9 and 10 so that various circuit operations may be made.
The non-volatile memory 5 and controlled circuits 9 and 10 are connected with the controller 4 within the device thorough a control bus line 11 so as to be controlled with controlling data from this controller 4. The control bus line 11 is connected to an external terminal 12 to which an external controller not illustrated can be connected. The non-volatile memory 5 and controlled circuits 9 and 10 on the control bus line 11 can be controlled by controlling data from the external controller.
The controller 4 is formed of a microcomputer. In case the electric device is, for example, a television receiver, the input circuit 6 will have a power source key, channel key, sound volume key and brightness adjusting key and the controller 4 will not only generate controlling data for switching the power source on/off but will also generate controlling data for the channel selection, sound volume and picture brightness on the basis of the instruction from the input circuit 6 and will control such circuits as the channel selecting circuit, sound volume circuit and video circuit as the controlled circuits 9 and 10. From the external controller connected to the external terminal 12, correction data of picture deformations and correction data For the adjustment of the white balance of the entire picture in the production line or the like of a factory are fed to such circuits as a picture deformation correcting circuit and white balance correcting circuit as the above mentioned controlled circuits 9 and 10 so that the picture deformation correction and white balance adjustment may be made.
As mentioned above, the controller 4 within the device deciphers the instruction from the input circuit 6 and feeds controlling data to such controlled circuit as a sound volume circuit to control the sound volume or the like. Also, the external controller feeds controlling data to such controlled circuit as a picture deformation correcting circuit to control the picture deformation correction or the like. The control bus line 11 is formed of a two-line type dual-direction serial bus. The control data consist of address data instructing respective controlled circuits and data (such as sound volume data and picture deformation correcting data) of control contents following them. The control data from the controller control the respective controlled circuits but, on the other hand, are memorized in the non-volatile memory 5.
In such formation, the controlled circuits 9 and 10 and non-volatile memory 5 can be controlled through the control bus line 11 by the controller 4 within the device or the controller outside the device connected to the external terminal 12.
For example, on the basis of the instruction from the input circuit 6, the controller 4 within the device feeds sound volume data to the sound volume circuit to control the sound volume circuit but, on the other hand, operates to memorize the sound volume data in the non-volatile memory 5. (This is to prevent that, if the sound volume data are memorized in the memory of the controller 4, when the power source is switched off, the controller 4 will be initialized and the data will vanish.) When the power source is switched off by the input circuit 6 and is then again engaged, the sound volume data stored in the non-volatile memory 5 will be read out and will be fed again to the sound volume circuit to reproduce the former state. By the way, even in case the plug side power source switch 2 is switched off while the power source is switched on in the input circuit 6 and the power source switch 2 is again engaged, the former state are memorized in the non-volatile memory 5 will be reproduced. If channel data for controlling the channel selecting circuit are memorized besides the sound volume data, the channel when the power source is off is memorized and when the power source is engaged again, the same channel will be able to be reproduced. In such case, the data memorized in the non-volatile memory 5 will be variable data renewed by each input operation of the user.
Now, in a television receiver, as a high voltage of about 30 KV is produced in a cathode ray tube, a so-called cathode ray tube discharge will be made and a noise of a high voltage will be generated. When the noise is generated, it will come into the controller 4 as a foreign noise and the controller 4 will stampede rarely. Static electricity will accumulate in the human body in winter or the like. When the switch of the television receiver is about to be pushed, static electricity will flow and the controller 4 will rarely stampede because of it. Because the controller 4 stampedes, an error will be generated in the controlling data on the control bus line 11 and the memorized data of the non-volatile memory 5 will be destroyed. When the data of the non-volatile memory 5 are thus destroyed, the sound volume will become very small or very large. However, if the user operates the input circuit 6 to make the sound volume large or small, this defect will be recovered, therefore, will not become a fatal failure and will leave no particular problem.
On the other hand, in the production line or the like of a factory producing electric devices, in the system formation of the devices, the half fixed value peculiar to each device from the external controller connected to the external terminal 12 are set (memorized) in the non-volatile memory 5 through the control bus line 11. More particularly, in order to write data into the non-volatile memory, the external controller by the microcomputer is connected to the external terminal 12 and the data are written into the non-volatile memory 5. For example, the data are written in by varying the adjusted amount on the production line of the factory. In such case, if this is made by the internal controller 4, the burden of the internal controller 4 will become large. Therefore, the computer is connected to the external terminal 12 and the data are fed into the external terminal 12, or the data are written into the non-volatile memory 5 by a writing means. These memory data are half fixed data determining the system of the device. When the device is operating singly or plurally, the half fixed data thus set in the non-volatile memory 5 will be transferred to the controlled circuits 9 and 10 so that the device performance expected by the producer may be obtained.
For example, in a television receiver, in order to correct a picture deformation (to correct a graphic deformation of the picture) or to adjust a white balance of the entire picture, the data are fed to the respective controlled circuits (that is, the picture deformation correcting circuit or white balance correcting circuit by using the external controller) to correct the picture deformation or adjust the white balance. In this case, in the factory, the data will be adjusted by such setting means as the above described variable resistance and will be memorized in the non-volatile memory 5. Thereby, in the ordinary operating state of the television receiver, when the user engages the power source to see and hear the television receiver, the memory data will be read out of the non-volatile memory 5 and will be fed to the respective controlled circuits (that is, the picture deformation correcting circuit and white balance correcting circuit) to automatically correct the picture deformation and adjust the white balance. In such case, in the adjusting step in the factory, even if the data are once destroyed, they may be input again and therefore the influence will be comparatively small but, in case the adjusting data are destroyed in the user's place due to the failure of the internal controller, the data will have to be input again in the factory. This is very problematical as an article.
As described above, there has been a problem that, when a foreign noise comes into the controller 4 within the device and the controller 4 fails or becomes uncontrollable (stampedes), there will be a possibility of destroying the data of the non-volatile memory 5, the half fixed data from outside adjusted in advance will be also destroyed besides the variable data and, in the worst case, the entire system will be destroyed.